And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelation 22:1-2 NKJV 

Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine. Ezekiel 47:12 NKJV 

In the revelation (vision) that Jesus Christ gave to the Apostle John in the text above, John saw a new Paradise that mirrored Ezekiel’s vision of healing waters that flowed out from the Temple of God.

The river flowing from the Temple symbolizes the blessings of eternal life that flows from the Throne of God and the Lamb. It pictures the perfection of life in God and His eternal blessings to satisfy our spiritual thirst (John 7:37-38). Waters flowing from the Throne produces trees—trees of righteousness—their “fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”  Food is that which is eatable to satisfy hunger, to nourish, and sustain the body. Medicine is a substance used to cure or treat disease. Waters flowing from the Throne feeds us and heals us: spirit, soul, and body.

Furthermore, this vision of water flowing from the Throne is not only a vision of the new Paradise, but it also a pictures the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, and paradise lost by Adam and Eve, restored to the redeemed of the Lord (See Gen. 2:8-10; 3:22-24). In the Paradise of God, in addition to the Tree of Life, there shall be all “kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary”, and the leaves of these trees are for the healing of the nations.

Why would nations need to be healed in Paradise? (See Rev. 21:4-7). Both Ezekiel and John revealed that when waters flow from the Temple and the Throne of God and of the Lamb, the water produces trees with healing leaves. Now, this doesn’t suggest that there will be sickness in Paradise, but rather it emphasizes that the water of life produces health and strength wherever it goes and flows. Hallelujah!

Believers, like trees (Jer. 17:8), grow and overcome the “rough rapid waters of life” by spreading their roots in the river of flowing waters from the Throne: flowing under and expanding (humility), flowing to the ankles (walking in the Spirit), to the knees (praying in the Spirit), waters to the waist (being strong in the Spirit), and not being afraid of rising waters deep enough to swim in (flowing in the Spirit). Spread your roots in the water to grow, and the flowing water from the Throne lets you know that God is with you to heal every sickness, every situation, and every problem. Your fruit will be for food, and your leaves for medicine!

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